Spring into action

 

With the weather getting warmer and the days longer, spring is a great time to get your exercise regime back on track. If you haven’t routinely exercised all winter long, here are a few tips to get you back on track with your physical activity.

 

1. Make a plan

Before you get started, set goals. Decide on the activities that you would like to pursue and nail down when and where you will participate. Whether you choose walking or running outdoors, or gym based training/ classes plan the best time of day and number of days a week. With a well-thought-out plan in place, you are more likely to stick with your chosen activities.

 

2. Start Slowly

Starting a new routine gradually may make it easier to stay with your plan. If you get out of the starting gate with too much, too soon you can risk injury or the frustration that comes from exhaustion. Both are demotivators that decrease the likelihood that you will continue. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

3.    Think little and often

Let’s face it; there are some people out there who are just not five-times-a-week-to-the-gym health freaks. A small commitment to exercise on a regular basis is better than no commitment at all.

Research has proven that people are more likely to stick with their exercise programme if they do it for shorter periods but more often.

Instead of pushing yourself for an hour once or twice a week, it is far better to make time for 30 minutes of cumulative exercise every day - even taken in 10-minute bursts it has been proven to improve overall health.

 

4) Dance….

... and ski, and horse ride, and belly dance, and row and trapeze, and trampoline, and cycle.

 

Exercise doesn’t all have to be about routine gym work, the exercise mat and the treadmill. It doesn’t have to be a chore.

While 65 per cent of members usually fall away from gyms after February, you can be someone who keeps exercising by taking up a hobby you really enjoy.

It will help improve your fitness, keep you interested in staying fit and also lower stress levels.